Evaluation of the Impact of Low Emission Zone and Heavy Traffic Ban in Munich (Germany) on the Reduction of PM(10) in Ambient Air

Concentrations of ambient fine particles (PM(10): particles with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm) are still exceeding current air quality standards in many European cities. In Munich (Germany), low emission zone and transit bans for heavy-duty vehicles were introduced in 2008 aiming at reduction of traffic emissions contribution to PM(10). The effects of those measures on PM(10) mass concentrations in Munich were investigated with a semiparametric regression model for modeling PM(10) levels adjusted for time, background pollution, public holidays and wind direction. The reduction of PM(10) concentration after the introduction of the measures was larger at a traffic monitoring site (13.0 %, 19.6 % in summer, and 6.8 % in winter) and smaller in urban background (4.5 %, 5.7 % in summer, and 3.2 % in winter). The effect was most pronounced on Fridays and on the weekends in summer.